AboutVincent M. Wales Expertise I am a writer, specializing in novels (fantasy, science fiction and others) and poetry. While I may be able to answer questions on non-fiction, my specialty is fiction. Please keep that in mind when asking questions.
Experience For four years, I taught a series of fiction writing classes in Sacramento, CA. I've written literally hundreds of essays that are online. My latest novel, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, won BEST FICTION in Fresh Voices 2006, BEST FICTION and BEST YA FICTION in the NCPA Book Awards, and placed as a finalist in BEST BOOKS 2005 (losing to Amy Tan's newest). In 2002, my novel WISH YOU WERE HERE won awards for Best Fantasy and Best Fiction/Drama in the 8th Annual SPA Awards.
Question One agency says it doesn't want "genre fiction" On the website of recent books, and series, however, they have private investigator novels. Isn't this a genre? Or mystery that is genre? What's the difference between this and the literary fiction they want?
Thanks.
Answer Yes, mystery is definitely a genre, and private investigator stories would be a subcategory of this genre. I can only assume that this agency must have a standing relationship with the author(s) of those books, but is not looking to broaden that particular path.
As for "literary fiction," that's not the easiest term to define. You could say that literary fiction focuses more on characterization and style than it does on plot. Of course, as with everything, there's a lot of fuzzy area. Some "genre" fiction is what I would consider literary, and some literary fiction almost seems to be a genre unto itself... and would be, if there were more cohesion there.
Either way, if you write genre fiction, definitely pass this agency by.
